Castles / GB / Wales
Llanblethian Castle
Castell Llanfleiddan
Which definitions does it satisfy?
This dataset does not record whether something “is a castle”. It records a verdict against each named definition, with the reasoning that produced it.
| Definition | Verdict | Basis |
|---|---|---|
| Fortified residence | yes | A large courtyard castle whose gatehouse and curtain wall are attributed to Gilbert de Clare (the Last, d. 1314), an identified lord. Active defence: a massive twin-towered gatehouse — a gatehouse meant to be held — and a high length of curtain wall on the north side. Residence: the walled ward with a central mound carrying the shell of a thick-walled building, possibly an earlier keep. |
| Enclosure fortification | unassessed | No source consulted so far speaks to this definition. Unassessed is not the same as no. |
| State fortification | unassessed | No source consulted so far speaks to this definition. Unassessed is not the same as no. |
| Palatial seat | unassessed | No source consulted so far speaks to this definition. Unassessed is not the same as no. |
| Revival and folly | unassessed | No source consulted so far speaks to this definition. Unassessed is not the same as no. |
| Popularly a castle | unassessed | No source consulted so far speaks to this definition. Unassessed is not the same as no. |
Facts
| Tradition | european medieval |
|---|---|
| Location | Cowbridge with Llanblethian, Vale of Glamorgan, Wales, GB |
| Built | Medieval |
| Confidence | medium |
| First recorded | 2026-07-21 |
| Last updated | 2026-07-22 |
In the registers
Where this structure appears in official inventories. This is what turns an individual record into evidence about a count.
- Cof Cymru — National Historic Assets of Wales —
GM094· Scheduled Monument — SiteType: Castle · entry
Location
Approximate. © OpenStreetMap contributors.
Notes
Assessed against the Cadw full report (GM094). fortified_residence yes — a courtyard castle built by the identified lord Gilbert de Clare, with a twin-towered gatehouse, high curtain wall and a probable keep on the central mound: active defence plus lordly residence. No usage evidence for popular_castle and nothing supporting the other bands, so they are omitted. Confidence medium: single official report plus register.
Sources
- Scheduled Monument Full Report — Llanblethian Castle — Cadw, 2026-07-22
Cadw's full scheduled-monument report (GM094); describes gatehouse, curtain wall and probable keep, attributed to Gilbert de Clare.
Signals
Raw per-source observations behind this record (2):
sig-20260721-cadw-gm094,
sig-20260722-report-gm094
Record file · dataset licensed CC BY 4.0 — see provenance.